A Bronx Urban Farm Sponsored by Women's Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDco)

It’s been a rainy season, but the farm has continued to thrive. The tomatoes, eggplant, okra, and herbs continue to produce on a weekly basis. With the Fall season right around the corner, we’re now beginning to plan for our fall crops. Our goal is to plant beans, cauliflower, kale, lettuce, garlic, and flower bulbs, if possible.

Garlic is definitely at the top of our list. To prepare, we will start by purchasing organic garlic from a reputable source. Garlic requires well-draining soil that’s deep enough for the head to form. The largest bulbs will be placed about 2 inches deep and 4 inches apart, with the flat side facing down and then covered with mulch to prevent damage.

Garlic needs to overwinter for the bulbs to form. By Springtime, the green stalks will begin to appear. In addition to the stalks, garlic scapes will grow which can be harvested. When the stalks begin to turn brown at the bottom, the garlic is ready for harvest!

Like this:

The farm has been steadily producing fresh vegetables over the past 3 months and we now get to enjoy the fruits of our labor. This weeks giveaway included cherry, roma, and beefsteak tomatoes, collard greens, basil, eggplant, and okra. As soon as the veggies were displayed, the residents jumped in line to pick up the items they wanted. Within an hour everything was gone! The residents also enjoyed a healthy dish prepared with items from the roof. The recipe is below.

Sauteed Cherry Tomatoes with Garlic, Basil, and Collard Greens

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Cloves of Garlic

1 Tablespoon of minced Basil

2 Pints of Cherry Tomatoes

2 Cups of sliced Collard Greens

Salt and Pepper

Heat 1 Tb. olive oil in a skillet over medium-high flame until it just starts to smoke. Add tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Saute, shaking pan frequently, until tomatoes soften and skins just begin to wrinkle. Stir in the garlic and continue to shake the pan until garlic is fragrant. Add Collard Greens and Saute until they turn a vibrant green and begin to wilt. Turn off heat, stir in the basil and remaining 1 Tb. olive oil, and serve.

This dish was a big a hit with the residents and the addition of collard greens made it even more nutritious. Everyone is looking forward to next weeks giveaway and dish.

Like this:

For the past 3 weeks, the residents at Intervale Green have been participating in weekly food demos held by the Cornell Cooperative. The classes focus on health and nutrition and provide information on what to look for on nutritional labels, the standard serving sizes for grains, protein and dairy as well as how to manage salt and sugar intake. Each class includes a food demo related to the weekly lesson. Last week the residents made a beet, apple, ginger and cucumber slaw and this week they made a black bean and corn salsa. Everyone seems to enjoy the food and the information provided. I can’t wait to see what they cook up next!

The Greenhouse at the Farm had a bit of a makeover this last Week. Volunteers from NYCares dedicated an afternoon to sorting, organizing and cleaning the greenhouse. The result is an organized, well-ventilated space, perfect for starting seedlings. One of our goals this season is to use the greenhouse even more than last year. This will give us the opportunity to provide more educational activities for the kids and have seedlings ready for the roof throughout the season. Many thanks to the team!

The NY Cares Volunteers with the Farm Manager (Center)

The Clean Greenhouse!

Share this:

Like this:

We had a great start to the season with a visit from NY cares last Thursday. The excessive rain over the past few days had resulted in a growth spurt of weeds at the garden. The containers were overflowing, so the arrival of the NY Cares volunteers was much needed. Fourteen volunteers arrived around 10 AM ready to work. The task ahead was large, but that did not discourage the volunteers. We had to remove weeds as well as turn the soil. The volunteers were careful not to disturb the existing plants and herbs, which were thriving on the roof. The removed weeds and old plants were placed in bags and will be used later for composting. At the end of the 2.5 hours, the majority of the containers were cleared of weeds and were ready for compost and fertilizer. Thanks again to NY Cares and Weil for their hard work at Intervale Green!

Like this:

We had a wonderful final Harvest Giveway at Intervale Green this year. In addition to giving away our final carrots, beets and peas of the season, we carved pumpkins for Halloween. Over 25 children and their parents were able to carve their own pumpkin just in time for the holiday. In addition, everyone scooped out their pumpkin seeds and learned to make a healthy, protein-rich snack: roasted pumpkin seeds. We also gave a workshop on seed saving and set aside some seeds to grow on the roof next year! Due to the overwhelming demand for pumpkins (not every child that attended was able to carve their own pumpkin), we saved a lot of seeds so that we can expand on this activity in 2017.